Today, for the first time, I accepted advertising. Don’t worry. I’m not selling out. It all went to charity, and there’s more where that came from.

The advertisers are linked below. They are UK-based retailers for outdoor equipment:

Cotswold Outdoor
e-Outdoor
Springfield Camping

There will be more coming soon from some mountain events, and possibly a couple bike shops.

This is a first for SteepClimbs. I had previously received overtures from companies wanting to promote themselves on the website. No thanks, I said. The site is not for sale.

Let me backtrack ..

Independence Pass

Last summer when I was riding up Independence Pass in Colorado, I had an experience of sorts. You could call it an epiphany, a revelation, a realization, or whatever. It was on that ride that I determined my life’s goal to give something back.

To get from where I started years ago as an overweight lump, wasting away on the couch, to someone who rides up 12,000 or 14,000 feet mountains for the pleasure, was inspiring. I wanted to make it my mission to inspire others, and to use my resources as a way of helping others.

This website didn’t start as a commercial venture. I never intended, nor even hoped, to make a dime off it. Frankly, I have a good career, live within my means, and am not looking for an extra source of income. This is just an extension of my passion, my hobby. The fact that people find this thing interesting is an added bonus.

After just recently passing the 100,000 mark, I heard from a few different parties. This time I was more willing to listen, not because I’m looking to make some money, but because this was a way I could give something back.

Since that Independence Pass ride, I’ve been searching for a charity partner that I could work with. At first I struck out, but the search slowly continued.

I settled on the American Diabetes Association for a number of reasons. First and foremost, diabetes is the cause that I feel most aligns with my interests. My goal is to inspire people to be healthy, active, and to reduce their risk. Many of my friends and family have suffered from diabetes. It is a lethal disease, but in many cases, it can be fought.

Second, the ADA has annual Tour de Cure events throughout the country. Not only do these benefit diabetes, but they also encourage the local cycling community. The local Tour de Cure is one of the most popular rides in our city.

Here’s how the program will work. All donations will be considered advertising, and will be funneled through the event. You can follow my fundraising progress at the new Tour de Cure section of the website, or donate directly through the Tour de Cure site.

Anyone who donates any amount will get their name and a link of their choice in that section (if they want). The higher the donation amount, the higher the placement on the list.

Anyone who donates $50 or above will get a prominent graphic link on the sidebar of every page of this site. That means that donating a small amount to charity means you are advertising on this website, potentially reaching thousands of cyclists. Again, the more that is donated, the higher the positioning of the link.

The donation links in the Tour de Cure section will remain archived forever. The links on the sidebar will stay on the website until the Tour de Cure on May 4th, 2013. After that, I will restart the fundraising effort for another event to be announced.

A lot of websites and blogs will ask for support through Paypal, clicking on Amazon links, or visiting sponsors. For many, that’s just because they want to generate income. I’m asking you to support my website by helping out others and donating to a great cause. If you appreciate what I do, I ask you to follow my example and give something back.

Today the website passed 100,000 pageviews. Given that I started this blog just as a personal journal, a way to document my progress during a fitness challenge, that’s an insane number. I never expected it to get this big. The vast majority of this traffic came in the last year, approximately 90,000 views.

To celebrate this milestone, I thought I would spend some time talking about what people read here, where they come from, and what they do. In other words, I’m going to give you website stats, which you’ll probably find incredibly captivating or mind-numbingly boring.

Most Popular Ride Pages

1. Assault on Mount Mitchell – 1,888 views

This is the ride that got the blog started, and it’s the one I plan (hope) to complete every year. This is my A ride, and I’m glad that so many other riders find value in my experience.

2. Assault on the Carolinas – 1,112 views

This is still one of my favorite rides, and they were nice enough to link to me recently from their website.

3. Bridge to Bridge – 1,027 views

Yet another one of my favorite rides, albeit in a cruel and masochistic way. They have also linked to me from their website.

4. Hot Doggett – 909 views

It seems like forever ago that I did this ride, and is one of my first articles to gain some popularity. I’m not sure whether it was the thinly veiled self deprecating humor in part one, or helping someone else in part two. Whatever it was, a lot of people read it.

5. Blue Ridge Breakaway – 609 views

This was my Ride of the Year for 2011, which resulted in a little bit of local press attention. It was a terrific ride and it grew in size this year. Hopefully I helped some with that.

Most Popular Non-Ride Pages

1. North Carolina Climbs – 1,554 views

The climbs section has become a large attraction of the site. I’ve put a lot of work into it, so this is something I’m proud of. Hopefully this area will continue to grow. North Carolina is naturally larger because they are in the heart of the Blue Ridge with some tremendous climbs.

2. South Carolina Climbs – 898 views

South Carolina also has some terrific climbs, but not nearly as many as North Carolina.

3. Hincapie Gran Fondo Announced – 786 views

This could qualify as a ride page, but it was more of a news item. I think this one became popular because of some lucky search engine positioning and a lot of interest in the event.

4. Dog Versus Man – 627 views

Honestly, I’m not sure why this one received so many posts. It was an earlier article and slowly but surely the hits have added up. Maybe people found it funny, even if at my expense.

5. Sassafras Mountain, Becky Mountain, and More! – 616 views

I guess you could call this one a ride post too, but it was not an organized event. I’m not sure why it received traction. Maybe because these are some of the tougher, unknown climbs in the area.

Top Referrers – Blogs

1. Bike Noob – 513 referrals

Seriously? I never realized so many people clicked through from there. Maybe it is because I had written a guest article once. I plan to write another soon. Ray may no longer fit the description of a ‘noob,’ but his blog is solid reading for beginners or experts.

2. The Climbing Cyclist – 178 referrals

This guys is a seriously hardcore climber in Australia. He puts me to shame. I was glad to be able to help him find some Carolina roads to ride when he visited stateside.

3. Vicious Cycle Blog – 104 referrals

Most of Gerry’s referrals should come as no surprise. We are teammates on the upcoming Haute Route race. Hopefully I’ve sent him a couple visitors as well.

4. There and Back Again – 76 referrals

In one of the world’s odd ironies, Steve also celebrated his 100,000th pageview on this very day. How cool is that? He’s a witty guy and tells some great stories. I also respect his appreciation for history.

5. Zeke’s Great Smokies Adventures – 56 referrals

Zeke’s a good guy who also tells wonderful tales. I know him best as the guy who helps put together the Blue Ridge Breakaway. He does a phenomenal job and I hope to see him in the Smokies again soon.

Top Referrers – Social Media

1. Facebook – 9,563 referrals

Social media is responsible for many of the traffic increases this year. Facebook was unquestionably the biggest difference. I first created the SteepClimbs Facebook page in the summer. That page is responsible for the majority of these referrals, and is a great way for people to keep up with the site.

2. Twitter – 883 referrals

Twitter is not nearly as ‘sticky’ as Facebook. While I post my blog updates there, they tend to pass quickly. I use Twitter primarily as a way of giving mini-updates, which is what I think it is best for.

3. Strava – 379 referrals

These are pretty much all my friends. I tend to link to my ride reports in the comments section of my Strava links. People click on them sometimes.

4. Google Reader – 176

I have no idea how many subscribe to the site via Google Reader. There must be a few if some people are clicking through. I believe my news feed is full text, so people probably only click when they are following links in an article.

Thanks for reading! I hope the second 100,000 views are just as enjoyable and interesting as the first.